Swimmer&#39;s safety belt



April 21, 1959 v. ORTZ 2,882,537 SWIMMERS SAFETY BELT v Filed May 9,1958 INVENTOR United States Patent SWIMMERS SAFETY BELT Victor Lortz,Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 9, 1958, Serial No. 734,225

4 Claims. (Cl. 9-19) This invention relates to swimming aids in thenature of safety belts.

In particular the invention comprises means to b carried on the personof a swimmer for aiding the latter to maintain buoyancy during restperiods or in the event that cramps or other misfortune causes a swimmerto exhibit impaired eiciency.

In a further aspect the invention comprises a buoyancy device designedto have a quiescent state in which it can be stored upon the body of aswimmer, and an active state wherein it is inflated with a gas to such adegree as to ensure buoyancy of the wearer to support the wearer inwater.

The buoyancy device of my invention is further fitted with manuallyoperable means for changing the apparatus from the quiescent to theactive state as occasion may require.

In a still further aspect, the invention is arranged so that in thequiescent state it is made to assume the relatively flat and compactform of a belt so contrived that when the actuating means is operated,the belt unfolds so as to become an inflated annulus about the body ofthe wearer.

Devices for the purpose indicated are well-known and have been providedin many forms such as lifejackets, May Wests and similar inflatablegarments.

Prior art arrangements suffer from the disadvantage that they areinitially bulky and usually require the use of a gas bomb to inflatethem. It is one object of the present invention to provide a device ofthis kind and for the purpose indicated which is initially compact andlight in weight so that it does not interfere with the wearers normalfreedom of action either in or out of the water, when in its quiescentattitude.

It is another object to provide an arrangement of the kind describedwhich when rendered active in state will automatically assume aninflated attitude above the centre of gravity of the wearer so that itdoes not tend to upset a swimmer in the water.

It is a still further object to provide a buoyancy device which in theactive state so resides about the torso of the wearer that it does notinterfere with the arms or legs in their effort to maintain a swimmingmotion.

In accordance with these objects a buoyant device according to myinvention comprises a belt composed of folds of preferably resilientmaterial forming a folded tube clasp means for fixing the belt about thetorso of a wearer and desirably for sealing the ends of the tube againstthe entry of water and the exit of gas, dehydrated chemical meansdisposed within the folds of the tube for generating a gas when wet byWater, and valve means for controllably admitting water into the foldsof the tube for wetting the said chemical.

In a further aspect, the means for controllably admitting water into thetube includes guard means for preventing accidental operation of thecontrol means.

In a still further aspect the said guard means also includes meansco-operatng therewith for manually un- ICC .folding a portion of thefolds of the belt so as to accelerate the unfolding of the remainingportions of the device as the water-generated gas `spreads in the tube.

The invention will now be further disclosed and ascer.- tained byreference to the following description of a typical example ofconstruction, the text being aided lby reference to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a belt-shaped buoyancy .device accordingto my invention;

Fig. 2 shows a sectionized fragment of a buoyancy device according tothe invention and displays details of a water intake valve Aand aguard-cover in the safety attitude;

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and affords detail ofthe water valve and of the guard-strap and safety fixing means;

Fig. 4 depicts in section a portion of the folded tubular belt in theact of being opened by the hand tab of the safety guard;

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of Fig. 4 after it has been completelyunfolded;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a water intake valve for controllablyadmitting water to the interior of the tube;

Fig. 7 is a frontal view of the water intake valve;

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the water inlet valveassembly;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section detailing one manner of securing thewater inlet valve in fluid and gas tight relation to the material of thebelt-tubing; and

Fig. lO is a fragmentary section detailing the action 'of the belt claspin sealing the ends of the'tube in fluid and gas-tight relation and atthe same time affording means for latching the belt about the torso ofthe wearer.

Referring now to these figures, 1 is a belt comprised of a tube ofpreferably resilient gas tight material such as rubber and comprisingtwo folds 2, 3, which compress upon the body of a wearer to form arelatively thin strip resiliently held in place therea-bout by two claspmembers 4, 5, each having a complementary hook 6, 6. The clasp members4, 5 also include, each, a snap closure means 7, which firmly grips andseals off a respective end of the folded tube 1. The tubular belt isfolded upon itself in at condition to produce the folds 2, 3.

Near one end of the tubular belt 1 is positioned a spring loaded,pushto-open water intake valve 8. In a preferred embodiment, this valvehas a body 9 of rigid material and containing a valve seat 10 encirclinga water inlet opening 21; a valve sealing plate 11, loading spring 12,spring retainer 13 and actuating button 14. Plate valve 11 is pressed byspring 12 to engage seat 10 to seal opening 21. The assembly may includetabs 15 struck out from the body 9 co-operating with tabs 16 and slots17 cut out of part 13 around its periphery so that the valve parts canbe crimped together to form an assembly. The outer periphery of thevalve -body 9 is circumferentially grooved at 18 to receive the materialof the tube 1 in bonded gastight relation. Fig. 6 shows a fragment ofthe tube 1 turned inward and bound in the groove 18 of the body 9 'by alapping of wire 19. Desirably there is an interposed lapping of adhesivetape 19. This is shown in enlarged fragmentary detail in Fig. 9. Whenthe button 14 is depressed the opening 20 in spring retainer 13 admitswater to the interior of the tube 1 from the valve opening 21 in body 9.The spring 12 closes the valve tightly as soon as button 14 is freed ofhand pressure. To depress the Ibutton 14 together with the plate valve11 the wearer merely presses on said button using a finger, as shown inFig. 5.

The valve assembly 8 is normally covered by a guard piece 22 having tabs23 and 24 attached to certain portions of the tube. Tab 23 is attachedto the under side of the folds 2, 3 at their inner junction 25; this isseen 3 clearly in Figs. 4 andV 5. The tab 24 is tted with a standarddome fastener 26 which co-acts with a mating part 27 permanentlyfastened to the inner external surface of the folded tube 1. When thetabs are folded around the valve and belt, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,and the fasteners 26, 27 snapped together, the valve cannot readily beoperated and is in` safe water-tight condition for the quiescent ornonactive use of the device.

When it is desired to activate thedevice to make it buoyant, thesnapfasteners 26, 27 are parted and the tabs are manually pulled downward,as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. .This partly unfolds the tube which, in theunfolded region or nearby, inside say at 28, contains a dehydratedchemical such as anhydrous sodium .bi-earbonate and anhydrous tartaricacid or the like in suiiicient concentration to provide, when wettedwith water, an

appropriate volume of gas sufficient to unfold and inf.

ilatethe remainder of the belted tube 1, to its designed annularxsizeand form. By depressing the button 14 just enough water can becontrollably admitted to the inside of the tube 1 to completely wet thechemical or to partly wet it so as to provide a desired volume of gas.

By depressing button 14 to open plate valve 11 and by concurrentlypulling on tab 24 a suction at the valve area is created to expediteinflow of water (see Fig. 5).

When the wearer has returned to land the belt can be removed byunfastening the clasping hooks 6, 6'. By unlatching the snap closures 7,the gas is released and the ,tube is enabled to be washed out, dried,recharged with chemical, and folded again, as shown in Fig. 2. Theclasps 7 may be replaced and the device restored to its quiescentattitude of Fig. 1, ready for a further inationary operation.

It will be evident that the construction generally described providesmeans fully implementing the objects of` the invention. It is furtherevident that the co-operating elements of the invention can beindividually modified in All such modifications are to be reopening, achemical agent in said'tube adapted to generategas when wetted, and apull tab device connected to said junction adjacent to said valve andextending outwardly therefrom between said undersides and terminating ina grasping free end part which when pulled produces an unfolding actionof the tube-folds to aid in admitting water when the valve is opened.

2. A buoyancy device as defined in claim 1, in which the pull tab deviceis transversely arranged at the valve portion of the tube and carries aguard cover adapted to be detachahly secured over said valve to preventaccidental operation of said valve.

3. A buoyancy device-as defined in claim l, in which the pull tab deviceis transversely arranged at the valve portion of the tube and carries aguard cover intermediate of its length for fitting over said valve toprevent accidental operation thereof, and in which the free end part ofsaid pull ta'b device is supplied with a detachable fconnectionfforfastening it in wrapped condition about the tube.

4. A' buoyancy device comprising in combination an inllatable tubefolded upon itself transversely of its length, the folded tube providingundersides and outer sides,

' the undersides meeting at a junction, a depressible valve in an outerside of the folded tube controlling a water inletopening, a guard coverpositioned over the said valve in :such attitude as to preventaccidental operation thereof, a` first tab fixed at one end to anunderside of said `tube and at its other end fixed to said guard cover,

a second tab fixed at one end to said guard cover and having at itsother end a fastening means, and on an outerside of: said tube a coactngfastening means whereby said two tabs andv said fasteners co-operateunder manual control to detachably fasten and strap said guardReferences Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,309,256 Rekersdres Ian. 26, 1943 2,642,693 Broady June 23, 1953 Boyleet al. Mar. 12, 1957

